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Chinese

Double-Owl Vessel (YOU) with Lid, 1600–1046 BCE, Shang Dynasty

On View

Bronze

Dimensions: 8 × 8 × 6 1/4 in. (20.3 × 20.3 × 15.9 cm)

Gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, New York, 2014.26

Two achievements stand out among the accomplishments of Bronze Age cultures in China: the development of writing and the discovery of bronze. The alloy was produced on a massive scale for weapons and ritual vessels used by the ruling class. This vessel’s form has the appearance of two owls placed back to back and was a frequently used shape during the Shang Dynasty for ceremonial wine vessels.